Road Test: Sunset Tripper by Burbank Customs

Nineteen seventy-two was the year Road Rider magazine decided to piss off its readers--dedicated touring motorcyclists all--by running a 12-page feature in their March issue on one of the first "production" choppers of that era. The Sunset Tripper was constructed by Triumph of Burbank, CA, from a brand-new Bonneville, and was featured on the cover of that now defunct touring magazine. This is their story.

There are plenty of blogs that do a great job of recycling old magazine content, so we don't plan on taking ChopCult in that direction. However, we think today's chopper jockey will find this story interesting because the original writer's experience could have happened 38 years ago, or last weekend. Produced in the day when magazines were a hand-crafted affair and 68-page books like RR listed 21 souls on the masthead (including a "Camping Editor!), this was an in-depth look into the chopper phenomenon at the apex of it's social trajectory. It's a long read, but in the era of blogs, tweets, pokes and 2-second soundbites, we think it's worth the effort.

Ironically, one of our first feature bikes on Chop Cult was our friend Chris' Survivor, and original Triumph of Burbank chop.

fuckna! this guy got all that just from riding one...if only people knew what it felt like to build one then ride it...i think it would change things...great read...i'm reading it while i'm nursing my shitty back trying to get it ready to ride my rigid ass sporty over to bike week in 7 days...i need the moons to come together

It's cool see old articles about my dad's bike shop. He said they built almost 1500 production bikes. Now a days Dad is retired and enjoying building stuff in the garage. He sometime comes out and checks out my business, Low and Mean. If anyone comes across a Sunset Tripper for sale please contact me as I have been looking for one of these bike for awhile.

Interesting the bike looks really cool as photographed in the bike only pics, but riding pictures either don't do the bike justice or ?? It looks like a bolted on kit in those pictures. I really can't rectify the difference. I'd like to see it in real life.

Reminds you how little things have really changed after all those years.

If anyone is interested, we re-created the original 1970 Sunset Tripper shirt from Burbank choppers. Same art work and design from the 70's. Back then it was iron on, today we screen print. Shirts will sell for $17 on a limited production run. Check out http://www.lowandmean.com next week and we will have them up on our website. Email us at Sales@lowandmean.com if your interested.

You know I got sumthin from this read. I started riding a Ninja 600 when I was 16 and watched my town blowup with sportbikes. I continued to ride various sportbikes long after all had givin up on the "trendy sportbikes" which were for me a way around local law enforcement as I had been tagged a troublemaker cuz my Hot Rod cars were fast enuff to get me in trouble and not fast enuff to get away. Anyways 6 months ago I finally decided to get rid of my trusty GSXR 1000 and keep only my street bob. Now the people who once waved dont and various different people do. Wierd..... I unlike many who have transitioned or grown up didnt change not one article of clothing in my closet. Hmmm interesting I also have a zen like feeling just puttin around when before I wasnt happy until 140MPH.. Good read I liked it...